In general, the present invention relates to tags and labels for conveying identifying information about an object to which the tag or label is adhered and a method for using such tags or labels. More particularly, the present invention relates to tags and labels adhered to communications and power cables used to connect various aspects of, for example, communications hardware, which tags and labels provide important information about the cables and their connectors. The present invention also relates to a method for using such tags and labels on cables.
Frame-to-frame cables are typically used to connect all aspects of large computers and telecommunications systems. Such cables may connect the backplane of one frame of a computer to the backplane of another computer to carry, for example, voice or data information. Such cables are also used to provide power to computers, as well as connect them to ground. In the typical communications site, many computer frames are interconnected. As a result, many frame-to-frame cables are required. Such cables are often routed in large numbers throughout internal and external facilities and throughout buildings. Within buildings, communications and power cables like frame-to-frame cables are often routed under floors or above ceilings in cable troughs.
Given the various applications, locations, and pathways which these cables travel, installers and maintenance workers require information about the cables. For example, installers must know the originating and terminating location for the cable and the path by which the cable should be routed to connect those two locations. Installers must also know the type of connector to be used for a particular cable. Among other information, installers need to know the purchase order associated with a cable, the job number associated with the cable, and whether the connector should be shielded against electromagnetic interference.
Because such information is usually unique to a particular cable, in conventional techniques, temporary cable tags containing such information have been placed on both ends of a cable by fabricators. Cables arrive at an installation site with tags applied to both ends containing this vital information. In some cases, however, the proper length of a particular cable cannot be accurately determined in advance of installation. For example, the fabricators may not be able to determine from the blueprints of a site the exact distance between an originating location on one floor and a terminating location on another floor. As a result, the cable for these applications cannot be precut or fitted with connectors in advance. Instead, these cables must be cut and have their connectors attached at the job site.
In these situations, spools of the correct cable type with packages of cable tags are sent to the site. The installer makes a safe estimate of the length required for the cable and then cuts the cable from the spool. The cable tags are then placed on both ends of the cut cable for identification in the cable routing process. The cable tags, however, must be repositionable. Because the installers must estimate the length of the cable, the installers will likely have to further adjust the length of the cable to better fit the project. As the cable is shortened, the installer must remove the tag and move it back along the cable. In fact, installers may have to make several adjustments to the cable length, requiring them to move the temporary tags several times.
To allow for repositioning, conventional temporary tags have used a weak adhesive, such as Technicote TR455 acrylic removable adhesive. Each end is also folded over to form a tab to allow the user to pull the two halves apart. Due to the weak adhesive, these tags, while repositionable, have been known to fall off during routing. Moreover, tags applied by fabricators use the same weak adhesive. Those tags, as a result, have also been known to fall off during shipping to the installation site or after the passage of time.
However, cable tags, regardless of where they are applied, must be resistant to removal. During the routing process the cables are often dragged through long lengths of cable troughs, under floors, and along walls between floors. Accordingly, the cable tags must resist tearing, stretching, and abrasion while remaining stationary on the cable throughout the process. If a tag falls off while the cable is being pulled between floors, the installer will not know the terminating location for that cable. He or she must then trace that cable back to its originating location to determine its terminating location. Accordingly, lost cable tags cause substantial delays in installation.
Most of the information on conventional tags for communications or power cables applied by fabricators or during installation is not necessary for maintenance. Troubleshooters do not need to know the original purchase order for a cable or the installation job number, for example. Furthermore, tags used to relay installation information are typically large, and many cables are often routed together. Large tags, accordingly, cause unsatisfactory clutter. Moreover, the collection of a large number of tags presents a fire hazard. Therefore, workers have had to remove large tags after installation. Previously, maintenance of the cables then proceeded on a trial and error basis due to the loss of identifying information previously available on the tags. Cables would then have to be checked one at a time, connection by connection, to find the problem cable. This process is time-consuming and highly inefficient.
Accordingly, customers now require that the originating and terminating information remain on the cables for the life of the cables to assist in maintenance and troubleshooting. To satisfy this customer requirement, installers have been copying by hand the originating and terminating information from the current large tag to a small "flag tag." The small flag tag with originating and terminating information is then permanently adhered to the cable both at the originating and terminating location. This process, however, is also time-consuming and subject to human error.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need for a cable tag that at least identifies the routing information for a communications or power cable, overcomes the problem of falling off after multiple repositionings, provides permanent labeling information for the cable, and does not pose a fire hazard.